From my call sign, you can guess that I've spent most of my time on the salt (only recently duck hunting, though). We live in MA, but spent a couple years in Cleveland (wife is from there) and might be going back for a few (5-ish) years. I've recently gotten into sea-duck hunting and am wondering what the diver hunting is like in the Cle area. Puddlers/geese, too, as I'd be equal opportunity about it. ;-)

It would ceratinly make an Atlantic junkie feel more at home if I could hunt from the water on the lake!

Any thoughts on fly fishing in the area are also welcome, as I'll miss the stripers come Spring....

There North shore of Ohio can produce some quality diver activity anywhere you can find access. The best puddler action to be found in the state is probably about an hour and a half West of Cleveland in the Sandusky Bay area. There are severl public access areas as well as managed wildlife areas that present excellent opportunities

Has Boomn4x4 said there is good action all around the Lake. there are many public lands you can hunt, which you can Ohio DNR website. You can also check out Ohiowaterfowler.com and get infornmation from people around the state

Can one hunt puddlers on the open water (read as on Erie from a layout or boat), or will they only work smaller bodies of water? Sorry to ask such a basic question, but I've actually never hunted puddlers/geese.

I've never done any open water hunting, but you will get divers in the public marshes along with your puddlers.

As for flyfishing, the answer is yes. There is some great fly fishing opportunities in the Rocky River which is about 30 min west of Cleveland. It is part of the Metroparks (I belive) and is public access.

Boom is crazy, depending on what marshes and what winds you got all decide what birds you will shoot in the marshes for the most part.You can shoot both puddlers and divers on the same hunt hunting the open water, nothing is better than layout gunning for divers on the pond though, just remember our birds are smarter than sea ducks

Layout hunting for divers and getting some puddlers as a bonus sounds pretty sweet. Was in Cle last couple of days and will be back out next week - I'm hoping I have time to at least scout around the shore to get the lay of the land...

As for fly fishing, I'm psyched to hear that the metroparks have decent fishing, as even the people I was meeting with this week said they thought there wasn't much unless you head to PA (true that the limestone creeks are awesome, but I thought there HAD to be something near Cle).

If we end up there, I'll be asking a WHOLE lot of follow up questions!

Like this one: are there guides in the area that I could get out with to at least learn the diver/puddler ropes? If they're that much smarter than sea ducks, I could be in trouble.

Ducks and geese are stupid, lets be honest seriously.Sea ducks well they just got the short end of the stick.I live and hunt on the other end of the lake, I'm on the west side, as far as guides go I know there are a couple out near the islands, and one that has a field and a public marsh :laughing: but as far as down there I can be no help

Well, I'm coming out to Cleveland for sure. Likely move around late May/early June and will be there for min 3 years with possibility for several more, so I'll make use of the suggestions. :getdown:

Getting really psyched for trying layout hunting on the lake. Any suggestions for how to get smart on the process? I'm used to just sitting on a big piece of granite!

Also, for those near Cleveland, any suggestions on decent marinas (wife is pretty set on East side)? We have a 20' wooden, flat bottom lobster skiff (down east style) and would like to keep it in a slip so it's easier to get the kids aboard.

Looks like I'll have to change my handle. Let's see, "Erie Junkie" - that doesn't sound right at all... Gotta keep thinking on that one.

Found a good marina in Sandusky bay (which is way bigger than I thought). At least this way we can keep the boat in the bay if it's blowing and only head onto the lake on glassy days. Plus, I hear the fishing there is really pretty good (takes the sting out of moving from salt to sweet water).

While the boat is a flatbottom "lumberyard special," she keeps a decent sea. Not the 4-8 footers that you can get in Erie, but OK in a light slop. Still, I'm not taking the kids outside the bay unless it's flat-calm (in other words, I hear ya'!).